Facing a torrent of global challenges, China and Russia, two of the world's major powers, are strengthening their strategic partnership to help stabilize a turbulent world.This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Great Patriotic War and the World Anti-Fascist War.As the main theaters in Asia and Europe during World War II, China and Russia made immense sacrifices and historic contributions to secure victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, preserve their nations and safeguard the future of humanity.The two countries have agreed to jointly commemorate history, honor the fallen, promote a correct understanding of World War II history, defend the outcomes of the victory and the post-war international order, and uphold international fairness and justice.At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from May 7 to 10 and attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow.
He also attended the 70th anniversary celebration in 2015.Milestones in China-Russia tiesOn December 27, 1991, China recognized the Russian Federation and entered into diplomatic relations with it at the ambassadorial level.In late 1992, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited China.
The two sides issued a joint statement outlining mutual relations between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, formally recognizing each other as friendly countries.
The visit marked the smooth transition of China's ties from the former Soviet Union to the Russian Federation.In 1994, then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Russia.
During the visit, the two countries signed their second joint statement, establishing a constructive partnership characterized by good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation.Yeltsin returned to China in 1996.
He and Jiang held talks on forming a strategic coordination partnership and strengthening cooperation across various sectors.
The two sides then signed the third Sino-Russian Joint Statement, formally declaring the establishment of a "partnership of strategic coordination based on equality and trust and oriented towards the 21st century."In the years that followed, China-Russia ties continued to deepen, marked by key documents, such as the 2013 China-Russia Joint Statement on a New Stage of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the 2015 joint statement on deepening comprehensive strategic coordination and promoting win-win cooperation, and the 2017 joint statement on further deepening the partnership.In 2021, the two countries marked the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between China and Russia and agreed to extend the agreement.
In 2024, China and Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.Over the past 76 years, bilateral relations have undergone an extraordinary course of development.Force of stability, cooperation and progressThis year also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
As founding members and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia bear a special responsibility in upholding the international system with the UN at its core.Over the past eight decades since World War II, both countries have consistently upheld the international system, the global order underpinned by international law, and the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
They have practiced true multilateralism and demonstrated the responsibility expected of major powers.China and Russia have cooperated closely in promoting political solutions to international and regional hotspot issues, such as the Iranian nuclear issue.
As members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, both countries have continued to voice strong opposition to unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, reaffirming their commitment to international fairness and justice.The two sides have also deepened communication and cooperation within multilateral platforms, including the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the G20, promoting a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations and contributing to the common development of the Global South.The close cooperation between the two countries via multilateral platforms has not only revitalized multilateralism but also enhanced the voice of the Global South in global governance, said Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.A core principle in the new eraBilateral relations between China and Russia differ from the kind of military-political alliance seen during the Cold War.
Instead, the two countries transcend such a model of state-to-state relations, adopting an approach of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party, President Xi once said.China's diplomacy follows a path of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of any third party.
The principle was enshrined in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between China and Russia, signed in 2001.The legally binding pact, which serves as a fundamental guideline for the China-Russia relationship, has determined the nature of bilateral ties.
The treaty also makes it legally impossible for the two countries to form an alliance.In various official joint statements made by the two sides over the years, China and Russia have repeatedly stated that their relationship is not a kind of alliance and will not target any third country.The commitment to "non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party" ensures that the China-Russia relationship does not pose a threat to any other country and keeps it free from external pressure or interference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during an interview with Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya in April.The principle is a pioneering undertaking in international relations, representing an inevitable choice for developing China-Russia relations, he added.